Night Patrol Review: January has been weirdly good for horror this year. Like… suspiciously good. Solid releases, interesting ideas, and actual effort. So when Night Patrol popped up for an early access screening on my Regal app, I figured, why not?
New horror movie. January release. Justin Long. Ryan Prow is directing after his V/H/S/94 segment. That combination should’ve worked.
I walked into this movie knowing almost nothing about it. No full trailer, no plot breakdown, no expectations beyond “okay, probably a gritty horror flick.” I sit down, pull up the app, look at the poster… and realize:
Oh. This is a vampire movie. As a lifelong vampire horror fan, that actually got me excited. And that excitement lasted about… ten minutes.
My Rating: 1.5/5
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | Night Patrol |
| Release Date | January 16, 2026 |
| Director | Ryan Prow |
| Genre | Horror, Thriller, Vampire |
| Runtime | Approx. 1h 44m |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Starring | Justin Long, Germaine Fowler, Dermot Mulroney, CM Punk |
The Setup Sounds Better Than the Movie Is
On paper, Night Patrol is a great idea. Justin Long plays an LAPD officer who discovers a secret task force hiding something dangerous, something supernatural, tied to his old neighborhood. Corrupt cops. Vampires. Urban horror. Social tension. There’s so much you could do with that.
The problem is the movie doesn’t know which version of itself it wants to be. Is it a gritty cop drama? A vampire action movie? A commentary on police corruption? A gang-culture allegory? A superhero origin story? A body-horror creature feature? The answer is: yes, and that’s the problem.
Justin Long Is Trying. The Script Is Not.
Let me give credit where it’s due. Justin Long is genuinely trying here. I’ve grown up watching him in horror, Jeepers Creepers, Tusk, Barbarian. He’s playing a role you don’t usually see him in, and I respect the hell out of that. He’s committed. He’s present. He’s doing the work.
But the script completely undermines him. The movie opens with a dark, intense scene involving his character, and instead of pulling us toward him, it immediately makes you uncomfortable in the wrong way. Not “morally complex.” Just… off. Then, one scene later, the film suddenly expects you to root for him as the “good cop.”
That whiplash never recovers. And the supporting characters? Barely developed. His partner? No depth. The partner’s brother, who’s crucial to the story, might as well be a plot device with legs. About halfway through, I genuinely asked myself: Who is the main character here? That’s never a good sign.
Too Many Ideas, Zero Focus
Apparently, four writers worked on this script. You can tell. This Night Patrol movie feels like eight different drafts smashed together without anyone asking, “Hey, should we maybe pick one story and actually develop it?”
By the time we hit the third act, the film completely unravels. A major character, the only one I felt the audience could emotionally latch onto, dies suddenly and unceremoniously. No weight. No payoff. Just gone. And everyone around him reacts like, “Oh no… anyway, what’s next?”
From there, it’s chaos. Every new scene introduces a brand-new idea, like it’s the coolest thing ever, vampire politics, secret blood rituals, superhuman transformations, but none of it is earned. One character basically turns into a superhero out of nowhere. No buildup. No logic. Just vibes.
The Vampire Stuff? Barely There — and Poorly Explained
Let’s talk about the vampires, because that’s what this movie was sold as. The marketing makes it look like an evil vampire cop bloodbath. That exists for maybe the last 25–30 minutes, and it’s the weakest part of the movie.
There are a couple of cool visual ideas. The grainy, film-shot look works. One vampire form briefly reminded me of Resident Evil, which I actually liked. But the rules make no sense.
They introduce metal vampire teeth, a cool concept, but then completely ignore their own logic. Characters bite people without fangs. Transformations are inconsistent. Powers show up only when the plot needs them. And then there’s CM Punk.
I don’t watch wrestling, so maybe that’s on me, but he’s genuinely bad here. Not intimidating. Not fun. Just awkward. And he’s surrounded by dialogue that sounds like it was written five minutes before filming.
Dermot Mulroney’s character? Important. Potentially interesting. Completely wasted. His big reveal is literally him saying, “Hello, son. I’m your father. I’m also a vampire.” That’s it. No setup. No emotional weight. Just exposition dumped straight on your head.
The Movie Can’t Decide What It Wants to Say
Most of Night Patrol isn’t really about vampires. It’s about police culture, gang dynamics, and social commentary, which is fine, but the movie handles it with zero subtlety and no cohesion.
Then suddenly, it tries to shock you. A baby dies. Characters die back-to-back. The tone swings wildly between serious, grim, and awkwardly funny. It doesn’t feel bold. It feels desperate.
The Scene That Broke Me (In the Worst Way)
There is one scene I will never forget, and not for a good reason. Two characters are supposedly in a high-speed vampire chase. The camera cuts to them “running”… except they’re clearly standing still, just pumping their arms while the background moves.
I burst out laughing. Hard. That was the moment I mentally checked out. When the movie later cut indoors as if nothing happened, I just shook my head. Game over.
Final Verdict On Night Patrol
Night Patrol isn’t some bargain-bin disaster. It’s worse than that. It’s a movie with a genuinely cool idea that refuses to commit to it. A vampire cop movie should be fun, mean, or stylish. This one is confused, bloated, and emotionally empty.
Ryan Prow’s V/H/S/94 segment handled vampires better in a fraction of the runtime. That says everything. As a huge vampire fan, this one hurt.
Also Read: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review — Ray Fiennes Steals the Apocalypse in the Darkest Entry Yet
The Good & The Bad In Night Patrol
| The Good | The Bad |
|---|---|
| Shot on film with strong visual texture | Awful, unfocused script |
| Justin Long gives a committed performance | No clear main character |
| A couple of interesting vampire concepts | Vampire rules make no sense |
| Dark atmosphere in early scenes | The Third act is pure chaos |
| Strong idea on paper | Wasted potential everywhere |
Should You Watch Night Patrol?
If you’re curious, sure, watch it and form your own opinion.m But if you’re a vampire horror fan hoping for something sharp or memorable? Skip it. January gave us some wins this year. Night Patrol is not one of them.
